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Three things to remember1. Do not not place any TV right above the fireplace. Give it at least 5 ft.2. Watch the contrast. They set the contrast at 100% to look good in the retail store. 3. Dust the top back (where the air holes are) and clean the screen once a month. Never, never, never spray any cleaner on the screen. Get a good cleaning kit at your local Electrontic store.

I have a Philips three years old and it looks as good as when I set it up.

Yeah I was supprised the manual for my pany plasma said a clean [ I use microfiber] dry cloth to just "Dust" the screen. If you absolutely have to go beyond that, super-dilute dish soap [ like 1/50 ratio] wring the cloth dry and wipe. Since these don't attract the dirt like the old crt's, I've not found the need to go beyond a gentle dusting.

always good to hear a post back after a purchase.Hope your samy stays healthy!

I've often used a very diluted mix of water and vinegar; it works very well, leaves no residue, etc.

White Vinegar if you have to. And NEVER use anything other than pure distilled water if at all possible. My screens have ever only been dusted lightly with a very soft feather duster. And are clean and clear.

White Vinegar if you have to. And NEVER use anything other than pure distilled water if at all possible. My screens have ever only been dusted lightly with a very soft feather duster. And are clean and clear.

Sorry, I should have been a bit more clear.

Yes, I agree on both counts; I'm an IT professional and you're exactly right - I keep a bottle of both for just that reason.

I've got a 4 year old, therefore my screen is almost never clean and clear. LOL

Samsung's from my experience include only a few;
1 - Defective caps (they were/are involved a class action law suit due to the use of poor quality caps) My opinion poor quality components in general trying to cut costs I believe

2 - Heat related issues due to the fact they skimp on the use of heat sink compound - found several Inverter drive circuits die because of excessive heat on the FET's

Samsung's from my experience include only a few;1 - Defective caps (they were/are involved a class action law suit due to the use of poor quality caps) My opinion poor quality components in general trying to cut costs I believe

2 - Heat related issues due to the fact they skimp on the use of heat sink compound - found several Inverter drive circuits die because of excessive heat on the FET's

Had to replace caps on the power board on my 46" Samsung LCD. Later got the class action suit notice and billed myself from my IT company for the work. Got paid for my time. Between me and my kids, have 2 Samsung phones and 2 tablets. They all have their issues. You get what you pay for.

I have three Samsung TVs. One, a 46 LCD from about 2005, works great, amazing picture EXCEPT for the stuttering image on action intensive scenes. Next is a LED 55" from 2010. It has had the infamous 'connector bonding issue' where the ribbon cable unbonds. This is the connection between the panel and a small screen width circuit board. Samsung would only offer a partial 'rebate' on a new TV if I first shipped my old one to Chicago at my expense, properly packed of course. I did the foam padding 'repair'. I have to wait an hour on cold start for the TV to get hot and the connections to come back. This TV was six months out of warranty...
The other TV is a 36 LCD purchased in 2011. No issues with it, yet....

No more Samsung anything in my home. The 55" is a design/manufacturing defect and the lack of backbone by Samsung lost them a customer (and recommendation from a person many other people look to). This attitude eventually will bite them in the butt. Just look at what happened to HP and Dell when they blew off customers after the sale.

"Make a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light
a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

It all depends on the model and line you are interested in. As with most Mfgr's, the better spec'd sets are usually much more molah. I currently have 8 HD sets in my house, 2 are Sammy's, 3 Sony's, 2 Sharps. The latest is a UN65ES8000 (8000 series) and the picture is just incredible (to me) as I am a fan of true blacks and pure but not overpowering colors. Sharpness is right up there with the best of them as well. My 55" Sammy is still good but not quite all what the 65" is being the 55 has now been out well over a year now. Yes, time is technology.

My main living room set is a Mitsubishi Laser 75" which has wow factor. Granted the Sammy 65 is smaller but boy does it stop company in their tracks to look at it (plus it drops out of the ceiling so that maybe some of the wow factor on this set too i guess. (gotta be fair). Oh man, the pic is superb and even the audio quality is pretty good (not that you will probably wanna use it). The hand "waive" remote function is kinda weird and I won't comment on that here (yes, it's "almost" bs-crap but somebody probably does actually like it cough, cough. Picture makes up for it, forgotten see ya.

The new Sammy 75 is a 9000 series (only model to date I know of in the 9K series) and that for a big set kicks royal hiney as well. I don't own this set (yet) but have played with it extensively at BB. The price tag may shy most away but I don't think Sammy made this set for the frugal folks... lol!

I did see a Sony next to a Sammy in a private room at CES a few weeks ago, and the Sony was outshining the Sammy. My heart soared: "Sony is back!!" But based on a sample of one, different broadcasts, sets not necessarily tuned, not even contrast nor saturation, that's only a hope. The Sammy was older than the brand new Sony also.

Anyone have a good take on where the two titans stack up side by side in medium to high end sets? (ca. 60" sets.)

I did see a Sony next to a Sammy in a private room at CES a few weeks ago, and the Sony was outshining the Sammy. My heart soared: "Sony is back!!" But based on a sample of one, different broadcasts, sets not necessarily tuned, not even contrast nor saturation, that's only a hope. The Sammy was older than the brand new Sony also.

Anyone have a good take on where the two titans stack up side by side in medium to high end sets? (ca. 60" sets.)

I almost bought a (the following relies on my memory and might be a bit off, as is my memory) 60" Sony LCD-LED backlit model last year. Would have cost ~ $3,000 and was a Costco model, didn't have all the bells and whistles the (almost) same model in other stores had. From what I could see, it seemed more like a plasma (in viewing angles) and had a superb picture. Never had a chance to see a Panny plasma and the correct model of that Sony side by side in a dark room, but it certainly looked good in the local Costco, which is brightly lit. I did call Sony about that Sony and was told by several Sony CSRs that they couldn't comment on that model since it was made for "big box stores". Finally got a Sony CSR that told me the truth. In short, what he said was don't buy that, buy the proper model and get all the bells and whistles. Ended up getting another Panny plasma.

I almost bought a (the following relies on my memory and might be a bit off, as is my memory) 60" Sony LCD-LED backlit model last year. Would have cost ~ $3,000 and was a Costco model, didn't have all the bells and whistles the (almost) same model in other stores had. From what I could see, it seemed more like a plasma (in viewing angles) and had a superb picture. Never had a chance to see a Panny plasma and the correct model of that Sony side by side in a dark room, but it certainly looked good in the local Costco, which is brightly lit. I did call Sony about that Sony and was told by several Sony CSRs that they couldn't comment on that model since it was made for "big box stores". Finally got a Sony CSR that told me the truth. In short, what he said was don't buy that, buy the proper model and get all the bells and whistles. Ended up getting another Panny plasma.

Rich

I am sorry, I got lost somewhere. Are you saying the the models at Costco and Sams and other big box type stores are not the exact same models that you would normally get? If that is so, that changes my entire buying philosophy. This would explain why they can sell them so cheap.

I am sorry, I got lost somewhere. Are you saying the the models at Costco and Sams and other big box type stores are not the exact same models that you would normally get? If that is so, that changes my entire buying philosophy. This would explain why they can sell them so cheap.

I am sorry, I got lost somewhere. Are you saying the the models at Costco and Sams and other big box type stores are not the exact same models that you would normally get? If that is so, that changes my entire buying philosophy. This would explain why they can sell them so cheap.

This has been a topic for years. You'll noticed that sometimes the models look alike but the model numbers are nothing like the manufacturers. Why the different model numbers. It's a covert form of rebranding. They take a lesser or "different" model and put it out under their, BestBuy (there were news articles on them doing this a couple years ago), model number and tout it as better than what you see as the real model number. Because the only way you can do any comparison is to go by what they say, not able do a direct model investigation. Just last Sunday I was looking at a Target ad that had TV's and none of the model numbers were the manufacturers. All custom to Target. Manufacturers will make "special" models for large retailers.

Have you purchased your TV yet? If not, I'd strongly recommend the Panasonic 65VT50, rated by CNet and others as the best 3D HDTV out there, bar none. It's being heavily discounted, too, for around $2500.00.

I purchased one in November and must say that after I got it professionally calibrated, the PQ on it is simply stunning.

I believe one of the reasons for unique model numbers in stores is for price matching. Walmart only price matches exact model numbers.

Absolutely correct.

For Costco comparison to say Best Buy, go into Costco and look at the rear label. Get the TV model number on the label, not the boxed label.Then you can usually go to the manufacturers website and pull down manuals and see if every page is identical.

I believe one of the reasons for unique model numbers in stores is for price matching. Walmart only price matches exact model numbers.

Yup.

The other is to identify where it came from, and no they are not the same. If you do the homework, sam's for example, sells dumbed down versions [ plasmas] like [No] black filters, # of inputs,[ usually 2 HDMI] and less setting adjustments [Panasonic]. No 3D or eathernet if that's important. If all the bells and whistles like these are not critical, it is a bargain. The warranty is the same. Just be sure you know what you are buying. Some people were quite happy, while others were disappointed.

Have you purchased your TV yet? If not, I'd strongly recommend the Panasonic 65VT50, rated by CNet and others as the best 3D HDTV out there, bar none. It's being heavily discounted, too, for around $2500.00.

I purchased one in November and must say that after I got it professionally calibrated, the PQ on it is simply stunning.

I have been looking at the 65GT50. I read on another thread how that was voted best value. The 65VT50 can only be better though.